Means for fixing hollow rivets and the like



M y 7, 1952 JEAN GOBIN, (DIT DAUDE) 2,597,934

MEANS FOR FIXING HOLLOW RIVETS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l y 27, 1952 JEAN scam, (DIT DAUDE) 2,597,984

MEANS FOR FIXING HOLLOW RIVETS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, 1948 1 IIIIIIy/ W 6 J 6 w l 1 5 7. a 5 2 2 L x m a a 6 g 1 .1 E F MEANS FOR FIXING HOLLOW RIVETS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb; 25, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet s g. Fig. 3.

M y 1952 JEAN GOBIN, (DIT DAUDE) 2,597,984

MEANS FOR FIXING HOLLOW RIVETS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, 1948 4 sheets sheet 4 Fig.

- as will be explained hereinafter.

--avoid'sthe above-mentioned disadvantages.

Patented May 27, 1952 UN I TED STATES RATENT OFFICE 2,597,984 MEANS FOR FIXING HoLL'oW RIvETs AND THE LIKE I Jean Gobin dit Daud, Neuilly-sur-Seine; France Application February 25, 1948, Serial'No. l}816 In France February 28, 1939 Section 1,-Public Law 690, Augiist 8,1948 Patent expires February 28, 1959 dvclaims. (o1; 21's In order to -fix a-hollow rivet or similar article by-means of two opposite riveting tools the said hollow rivetisgenerallypresented threaded on a -posi-tiveconnection between said spindle and said tool, and the tool and spindle and the opposite toolare brought together, the movement towards one-another continuing until the rivet is driven home.

' I-Io'wever, towards the end of this relative apis made "to project as stated above is subjected .to an impact due to the opposite tool or due to an'accessory of said tool and this shock in time causesithe spindle to be twisted or even broken, especially if its diameter is small and if its end is taper-ed as is frequently the case. The greater the resistance opposed by the spring or the like to the motion of the sliding spindle the morethe consequences of the impact are to be feared. Now-in. the case of. a vertical machine comprising an upper distributor and a spindle mounted slidably-in the upper tool (this being the most ireq'uent type) the abovementioned resistance must be greatenough to ensure a proper jamming of "said spindle in the hollow rivet during the feed, In the case of a rivet closed at the end to be riveted, the impact is transmitted to the end of the spindle through the rivet; in the case of a rivet open at the end to be riveted there is direct contact between the end of 'the'spindle and the opposite tool or an accessory of the said tool.

The process according to the invention entirely It consists 'inthata bringing together of said corresponding tool and spindle on the one hand and the opposite tool on the other hand is first effected and then a relative movement between'the correspondin tool and the spindle is effected as soon as the end of the latter comes within a small distanceof the opposite tool'or'of any accessory of said tool, said relative movement being such that said end of the spindle is protected from any shock due to the opposite tool or due to any accessory of said tool while the bringing together ofzsaid -twoltools is completed for driving home tubular rivet open at the end to be riveted the above-mentioned relative movement is such that allcontact between the'end of the spindle andthe opposite tool or any'partofsa-id tool is avoided.

In the-latter case itis preferable to adjust the relative movement between the spindle on which said eyelet or rivet is threaded and the corresponding tool -so that theend of the spindle is still partly engaged in the eyelet or rivet'atthe moment when the-penetration of the end of, the opposite tool or of an accessory partof the latter should take place in the hollow of the eyelet or tubular-rivet. The correct penetration or engagement -01? the end, projection or the like in the hollowof theeyelet or'tubular rivet is thusensu'red. Otherwise-thiscorrect'engagement would not take-place or if it did take place the eyelet or rivet would no longer b'e centered by the spindle and there would still be a danger of the resulting riveting being defective.

According to one construction of an automatic machine for carrying out the process defined above the relative movement between the spindle and the corresponding tool is caused by a fixed stop'which at an opportune moment makes contact with a shoulder on said spindle or -a, part secured to the latter. This step is preferably mounted 'adjustably on the frame.

According to a second construction, the relative movement between the spindle and the corresponding'tool iscaused by a movable stop, the movement of the stop being controlled by the movement of the opposite tool.

An elastic friction device can be mounted on the tool-soas to-press on a-flat-portion-formed longitudinally inthe spindle so that the relative movement between the spindle and the correspondingutool takes place under the action 'of-a relatively considerable force. :More particularly this force should be greater than the force necessary to ensure proper jamming of the spindle in the rivet presented by the distributor at the time of vfeeding. For this purpose-the elasticity of this device is preferably adjustable.

With the friction "device, the machine also comprises a device intended to act during the movement of 'the two riveting tools away from one another after the. rivet has been pressed home and intended to cause the spindle to slide relatively to the corresponding tool so as to cause said spindle to project from said tool so that it can again be fed bythe distributor. p

The accompanying drawings s-h'ow purely descriptive and nkih-li'mitative examples of two constructions' according to the present invention. The drawings do 'n'ot show the whole of themachine'which can be of anytype but only'thetwo and an upper tool 2 mounted in a movable tubular tool carrier 24%. A spindle 3 slides in the upper movable tool 2 and its tapered end 4 projects from said tool when the spindle occupies the position shown in Fig. 1.

The spindle 3 is fixed to a spindle carrier 3a which slides in the tool carrier 2a and which is provided with a fiat portion 5 formed longitudinally and bounded by two shoulders 6 and 1. Two fixed stops 8 and 9 passing through a longitudinal hole l9 provided in the upper tool carrier 2a co-operate with the two shoulders B and 'l as explained below. The stops 8 and 9 are fixed to the frame 39 by means of the head l2 of the screw The position of the stops 8 and 9 can be regulated by the screw H and for this purpose are provided with elongated holes |3 and I4 through which said screw H is engaged.

The spindle carrier 3a comprises a second fiat portion |5 formed longitudinally. A pin l6 slides at right-angles to the flat portion IS in a tubular cylindrical part H which is fixed to the tool carrier 2a by means of screws IS. The end of the cylindrical part H is closed by a screwthreaded plug 23 on which bears a helical spring l9. The spring l9 presses the pin |6 against the flat portion l5 through a hole lfia formed in the tool carrier 2a. The pressure can be adjusted by screwing or unscrewing the plug 23.

The end 4 of the spindle 3 co-operates with a movable distributor (Fig. 1) which carries tubular rivets such as 2 The work to be riveted is shown at 22 (Fig. 2).

In order to simplify the explanations it will be assumed that the cycle of operation of the machine begins when the upper tool 2 is at the top of its stroke as shown in Fig. 1. The stop 9 is then in contact with the shoulder 1 of the spindle carrier 3a and the end 4 of the spindle 3 projects from the tool 2 by a distance a. The

distributor 29 is in the feeding position and the K rivet 2| which is the first to be presented by the distributor lies in alignment with the spindle 3a at a small distance from the tapered end 4 of said spindle.

The different operations of the working cycle of the machine are therefore as follows: The upper tool 2 and its tool carrier 2a descend towards the fixed lower tool carrying with them in their movement the spindle 3 owing to the pressure of the pin Hi. The tapered end 4 of the spindle 3 then enters the tubular rivet 2| and the pressure of the pin l9 on the fiat portion l5 of the spindle carrier 3a is such that no sliding of the said spindle in the corresponding tool 2 takes plac before the end of the said spindle is sufliciently engaged in the rivet 2| to prevent the escape of the latter during subsequent operations. The upper tool 2 continues to descend and as soon as the end 4 of the spindle 3 has become engaged in the rivet 2| the spindle 3 can no longer follow the upper tool 2 in its movement as it is prevented from further descent by the distributor 20 and the rivet 2| carried by the latter. The upper tool 2 and the tool carrier 2a therefore slide past the spindle carrier 3a and the spindle 3 and the end 4 of said spindle 3 does not project from the upper tool 2 more than a small distance which is less than a when the engaged rivet 2| leaves the distributor 20 as a result of the withdrawal of the latter. The tool 2 then carries the spindle 3 with it towards the fixed tool During the subsequent downward movement of the upper tool 2 and the spindle 3 a time comes when the shoulder 6 of the spindle carrier 3a makes contact with the stop 8, thus stopping the downward movement of the spindle 3. At this precise moment the end 4 of the said spindle projects from the tool 2 by the same distance as during the withdrawal of the distributor 29.

The distance between the tapered end 4 of the spindle 3 and the point 25 of the lower tool is then very small and less than the length of the rivet 2|. This distance, however is not negligible.

The upper tool 2 continues to move downwards while the spindle 3 is kept stationary by the stop 8. The lower end 24 of the said tool makes contact with the head of the rivet 2| and carries said rivet along, the rivet 2| covering the point 25 of the fixed tool As the distance between the spindle 3 and the point 25 remains constant after the said spindle has been stopped, and as this distance is smaller than the length of the rivet 2 I, this rivet is guided by the end 4 of the spindle 3 until the engagement thereof with the point 25 is obtained. The maximum pressure on the rivet is then exerted (Fig. 2) and riveting is completed without any contact between the tapered end 4 of the spindle 3 and the point 25 of the fixed tool The upper tool 2 and its tool carrier 2a then begin to move upwards away from the lower fixed tool The spindle 3 is carried along with them until the shoulder of the spindle carrier 311 makes contact with the stop 9. The upper tool 2 continues to move upwards until it reaches the upper limit of its stroke and the distributor 29 returns into the feeding position. After this the tapered end 4 of the spindle 3 projects from the corresponding tool 2 by a distance a. All the parts of the machine have now returned to the positions shown in Figure 1.

The relative movement between the spindle of the upper tool and the tool itself in the machine shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which is a machine for fixing two-piece rivets, is eifected by means of a movable stop and the movement of this stop is controlled by the movement of the opposite tool which in this case is movable.

For this purpose the lever 19 is pivotally mounted at 89 on the frame 8| of the machine. The end 82 of said lever co-operates with the shoulder 84 which limits at the upper part the fiat portion 85 formed longitudinally in the spindle carrier 680; which is rigid with the spindle 68. The latter slides in the upper tool 52 which is fixed at the end of the tool carrier 52a. This sliding movement is braked as in the previous machine by the friction pin 86 which is pressed by a spring 81 against the flat longitudinal portion 88 of a second recess 89 provided in the spindle carrier 68a.

The other end 9|] of the lever I9 is pivoted on one end of a connecting rod 9| of adjustable 7 spindle control arrangement comprising an adjustable stop member fast with said fixed frame, said shoulder portion of said spindle abutting against said adjustable stop member during the movement of said first riveting tool toward said riveting plane so as to hold said spindle against motion at a predetermined stop-point while said first riveting tool will complete its movement toward said riveting plane and approach to said second riveting tool, thus performing the riveting step proper, said predetermined spindle stoppoint being placed at will in relation to the riveting plane by adjusting said adjustable stop member..

2. Spindle motion control arrangement in a riveting machine having a fixed frame, a first and a second riveting tool, said riveting tools being in axial alignment on either side of the riveting plane, means for moving said tools toward and away from said riveting plane, a first spindle mounted axially in said first tool, a second spindle mounted axially in said second tool and means for feeding the elements of a two-element rivet into the paths of said spindles toward said riveting plane, said first and second spindles in the spindle motion control arrangement being both provided with a shoulder portion and mounted for sliding frictional axial motion in and in relation to said first and second riveting tools respectively, each of said spindles being thus driven in the movement of its related riveting tool, in which it is axially mounted, when no resistance is encountered by the spindle in its driven movement, and each of said spindles being held against motion when this driven movement is opposed so as to allow the tool in which each spindle is axially mounted to slide axially along said spindle, this spindle motion control arrangement comprising a movable stop member, means actuated by the movement, of said second tool for controlling the displacement of said movable stop member, said first spindle abutting with its shoulder portion against said movable stop member in the movement of said first riveting tool toward said riveting plane and being held against motion at a predetermined stop-point, and a fixed stop member, said second spindle abutting with its shoulder portion against said fixed stop member in the movement of said second riveting tool toward said riveting plane and being held against motion at a predetermined stop-point, whereby said riveting tools will complete their movements toward said riveting plane during the stopping of said spindles and approach each other in order to perform the riveting step proper.

3. A spindle motion control arrangement for riveting machine having a fixed frame, a first and a second riveting tool, both tools being in axial alignment on either side of a riveting plane, means for moving said tools toward and away from said riveting plane, a spindle mounted coaxially in said first riveting tool and means for feeding a rivet into the path of said spindle for threading said rivet over said spindle when the latter is moving toward said rivetin plane, said spindle in said spindle motion control arrangement being formed with a flat surface and a shoulder portion and mounted for axial sliding movement in and in relation to said first tool, and said spindle motion control arrangement comprising a small cylinder mounted for sliding motion in said first tool transversely thereto, a spring member mounted in said first tool and urging said cylinder against said flat surface in said spindle, and an adjustable stop member fast with said fixed frame, said shoulder portion of said spindle abutting against said adjustable stop member during the movement of said first tool toward said riveting plane and being held against motion at a predetermined stop-point While said first riveting tool is completing its movement toward said riveting plane by approaching against said second riveting tool to perform the riveting step proper, said predetermined stop-point of said spindle being selected a desired in relation to the riveting plane by adjusting said adjustable stop member.

4. A spindle motion control arrangement for riveting machine having a fixed frame, a first and a second riveting tool, both tools bein in axial alignment on either side of a riveting plane, means for displacing said first and second tool toward and away from said riveting plane, a first spindle mounted coaxially in said first riveting tool, a second spindle mounted coaxially in said second riveting tool, means for feeding the elements of a two-element rivet into the paths of said spindles for threadedly engaging said element over said spindles when said spindles are moved towards said riveting plane, said first and second spindles, according to said spindle motion control arrangement, being both provided with a fiat surface and a shoulder portion and mounted for axial sliding movement in and in relation to said first and second rivetin tools respectively, said spindle motion control arrangement comprising a first small cylinder mounted for sliding motion in and in relation to said first tool transversely thereto, a spring member mounted in said first tool and adapted to urge said first small cylinder against said fiat surface of said first spindle, a movable stop member, means actuated by the movement of said second tool for controlling the displacement of said movable stop member, said first spindle abutting with its shoulder portion against said movable stop member when said first tool is moved toward said rivetin plane and being thus held against motion at a predetermined stop-point, and a fixed stop member, said second spindle abutting with its shoulder portion against said fixed stop member when said second tool is moved toward said riveting plane and bein thus held against motion in a predetermined stop-point, whereby said riveting tools will complete their movements toward said riveting plane during the stopping of said spindles and approach each other in order to perform the riveting step proper.

JEAN GOBIN m DAUDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 646,063 White Mar. 27, 1900 1,579,487 Polinsky Apr. 6, 1926 1,653,674 Stimpson Dec. 27, 1927 1,729,247 Davis Sept. 24, 1929 2,366,403 Havener Jan. 2, 1945 2,440,213 Spring Apr. 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 479,796 Great Britain Feb. 11, 1938 

